apostle speaketh; it doth not follow from hence that therefore they were in no capacity or in no possibility of speaking the truth and refraining from the teaching of perverse things. Aristotle, speaking of riches, saith that "it is impossible that he should have them who takes no care to have them." So are we to conceive of the knowledge and true discerning of the things of God in the gospel: in what capacity soever men are, either for abilities, or means otherwise for obtaining them, it is impossible that ever they should actually attain them unless they be careful, and shall bend the strength of their minds and understandings in order to the attainment of them. Now, the heathen philosophers, more generally, became vain in their imaginations, Rom. i. 21, as the apostle speaketh; i. e., they spent themselves, the strength of their parts, time, and opportunities upon matters of a low or secondary concernment, and which they apprehended to have a more ready and certain connexion with their own honour and esteem amongst men; and did not charge themselves, their gifts, or parts with that worthy and blessed design which the apostle calls the having of God in acknowledgment. Upon this their unnatural unthankfulness towards God uttering itself in their addiction of themselves to studies, speculations, and inquiries of a self-concernment, with the neglect of Him, ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία, their foolish heart was darkened. Concerning heretics, it is a common notion amongst us that these, from time to time, were turned aside from the way of truth by some unclean spirit or other, as of pride, ambition, envy, voluptuousness, or the like. If these spirits once enter into a man, they will soon call in and take unto themselves other spirits worse than themselves, I mean, spirits of error and delusion, to advocate for them and plead their cause. As for the mistakes and miscarriages in judgment of good men, upright in the main with God and the gospel, about some particular points, they are to be resolved into several causes, of which we shall not now speak particularly only this I shall say, whatsoever any man's error or mistake in judgment is about the things of the gospel, it is not to be imputed to any deficiency on God's part in the vouchsafement of means unto him, competent and sufficient, as well for the guiding into as for the keeping of his judgment in the way of truth; but into some deficiency, neglect, or incogitancy of his own, which he might very possibly have prevented or overcome. But,

Secondly, Concerning the Spirit of God, by which alone, and in opposition unto reason, many affirm and teach that the things of God and matters of religion are to be apprehended, discerned, and known, I answer, that such an opinion as this is a conceit as uncouth, as palpably weak, and incoherent with itself, as lightly can be; for if only the Spirit of God within me apprehends the things of God, and I myself apprehend them not, (and apprehend them I cannot but by my reason or understanding, having no other faculty * Αδύνατον ἔχειν τὸν πλοῦτον, μὴ ἐπιμελοῦντα ἔχειν. Arist. Ethic. † See the Epistle Dedicatory.

wherewith to apprehend or conceive,) such an apprehension of them relateth not at all unto me: nor can I any whit more be said to apprehend them because the Spirit of God apprehends them in me, than I may or might in case the same Spirit should apprehend them in another man. That which another man meditates or indites in my house without imparting it unto me, no whit more concerns me than in case he should have meditated or indited the same things in the house of another man. Besides, the Spirit of God being but one and the same infinite indivisible Spirit in all men, he cannot, with any tolerable propriety of speech, nor with truth, be said to apprehend, discern, or conceive that in one man which he doth not after the same manner apprehend, discern, and conceive in another, yea, in every man. Therefore, if there be any thing more apprehended or discerned of the things of God in one man than in another, the difference ariseth not from the different apprehensions of the Spirit in these men, but from the different apprehensions of these men themselves, and this by their own reasons and understandings, they having, as hath been said, no other faculties, principles, or abilities wherewith to apprehend but these.

If it be demanded, But is any man able, without the presence and assistance of the Spirit of God, to discern the things of God, or to judge aright in matters of religion? I answer,

1. Plainly and directly to the heart, I suppose, of those who make this demand, No. The Spirit of God hath such a great interest in, and glorious superintendency over, the minds, and spirits, reasons, and understandings of men, that they cannot act or move regularly, or perform any of those operations or functions that are most natural and proper to them upon any worthy or comely terms, especially in matters of a spiritual concernment, but by the gracious and loving interposure and help of this Spirit. For, questionless, the intellectual frame of the heart and soul of man, was, by the sin and fall of Adam, wholly dissolved, shattered, brought to an absolute chaos and confusion of ignorance and darkness, to a condition of as great an impotency to do him the least service in order to his comfort or peace in any kind, as can be imagined. So that if the reasons and understandings of men quit themselves in their actings or workings with honour, or in any due proportion to their benefit, comfort, or peace, it must needs be by means of that gracious conjunction of the Spirit of God with them, which is a vouchsafement unto the children of men, procured by him who raised up the tabernacle of Adam when it was fallen, Jesus Christ blessed for ever; in respect of which vouchsafement purchased by him, and given unto men for his sake, he is said to enlighten every man coming into the world, John i. 9. So that what light soever of truth, what clear and sound principle or impression of reason, or understanding soever, is, since the fall, to be found in any man, is an express fruit of the grace that is given unto the world upon the account of Jesus Christ, and is re-invested

in the soul by the appropriate interposure of the Spirit of God, the gift whereof, upon this account, is so frequently and highly magnified in the Scriptures. Yea, not only the habitual residency of all principles of light and truth in the soul is to be attributed unto the Spirit of God as supporting and preserving them from defacement, but also all the actings and movings of the rational powers of the soul according to the true exigency, ducture, and import of them, as in all right apprehensions of things, in all legitimate and sound reasonings and debates, whether for the confirmation of any truth or the confutation of any error, or the like. But,

2. Though the Spirit of God contributes by his assistance after that high manner which hath been declared, towards the right apprehending, understanding, discerning the things of God by men, yet this no ways proveth, but that they are the reasons and understandings of men themselves, that must apprehend, discern, and understand these things: and consequently must be provoked, raised, engaged, employed, and improved by men, that they may thus apprehend, and discern, notwithstanding all that assistance which is administered by the Spirit, otherwise nothing will be apprehended or discerned by them. Nor will the assistance of the Spirit we speak of, turn to any account of benefit or comfort, but of loss and condemnation unto men, in case their reasons and understandings shall not advance, and quit themselves according to their interest thereupon.

3. In case the Spirit of God shall at any time reveal (I mean, offer and propose) any of the things of God, or any spiritual truth, unto men, these must be apprehended, discerned, judged of, yea, and concluded to be the things of God, by the reasons and understandings of men, before they can, or ought to receive or believe them to be the things of God, yea, before such a revelation can any ways accommodate, benefit, and bless their soul. When our Saviour, speaking of the Spirit to his disciples, saith, "And he will show you things to come;" and again," He shall receive of mine, and shall show them unto you," John xvi. 13, 14, he supposeth that they (viz. with their own reasons and understandings) were to apprehend and judge of the things that should be thus shown unto them, to have been shown unto them by the Spirit of God, and not to have proceeded from any other author. Yea, in case men shall receive the things of God themselves for the things of God, or of the Spirit of God, before their reason and understanding have upon rational grounds and principles judged them to be the things of God, yet can they not receive them upon these terms, as the things of God; I mean, as the things of God ought in duty, and by command from himself, to be received by men, or so as to benefit or enrich the soul by their being received. For as God requires of men to be "praised with understanding," Psalm xlvii. 7, (i. e. out of a rational apprehension, and due consideration of his infinite worth and excellency,) so doth he require to be believed also. And they that believe him otherwise, believe they

know not what, nor whom; and so are brethren in vanity with those that "worship they know not what," John iv. 22, and build "altars to an unknown God," Acts xvii. 23. To trust, or believe in God upon such terms as these, is, being interpreted, but as the devotion of a man to an idol; yea, the apostle himself arraigns the Athenians of that high crime and misdemeanour of idolatry, upon the account of their sacrificing to "an unknown God," Acts xvii. 29. 4, and lastly, The interposure and actings of reason and understanding in men, are of that sovereign and most transcendant use, yea, necessity, in and about matters of religion, that all the agency of the Spirit notwithstanding, a man can perform nothing, no manner of service unto God with acceptation, nothing in a way of true edification to himself, without their engagement and service. First, I stand charged by God, not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits whether they be of God, 1 John iv. 1. I demand, by what rule or touchstone shall I try any spirit? When, or upon what account, shall I reject one as a spirit of error, falsehood, and delusion, and do homage with my judgment and conscience to another as the Spirit of God? If it be said, I ought to try the spirits by the Scriptures, or word of God; I demand, again, but how shall I try my touchstone, to be sure that that principle, notion, or ground, which I call the word of God, and by which I go about to try the spirits, is indeed the word of God? There is scarcely any spirit of error that is abroad in the Christian world, but freely offers itself to be tried by the word of God, as well as the true Spirit of God himself, i. e. by such meanings, senses, or conclusions, as itself confidently asserts to be the word of God, i. e. the mind of God in the Scriptures. So that I am in no capacity to try such a spirit, which upon such an account as this pretends his coming forth from God, unless. I be able to prove that those senses, meanings, and conclusions, by which he offers to be tried, are not indeed the word of God. Now it is impossible that I should prove this merely and only by the Scriptures themselves, because unto what place, or places soever, I shall have recourse for my proof or trial in this case, this spirit will reject my sense and interpretation, in case it maketh against him, and will substitute another that shall not oppose him. Nor can I reasonably or regularly reject his sense in this case, at least as an untruth, unless I apprehend some relish or taste therein which is irrational, or some notion which jarreth with or grateth upon some clear principle or other of reason within me. For as on the one hand, what doctrine or notion soever clearly accordeth, and is commensurable, with any solid and undoubted principle or ground of reason within me, is hereby demonstrably evinced to be a truth, and from God: so, on the other hand, what doctrine or saying soever bears hard, or falls foul, upon any such principle, must of necessity be an error, and somewhat that proceeds from Satan, or from men, and not from God. The reason hereof is clearly asserted by the apostle in these words, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace," 1 Cor.

xiv. 33. From whence it appears that God is not divided in himself, or contradictious to himself, so as to write or assert that in one book, as in that of the Scriptures, which he denieth or opposeth in another, as viz. in that of nature, or of the fleshly tables of the heart of man; but whatsoever he writeth or speaketh in the one, he writeth or speaketh nothing in the other but what is fairly and fully consistent with it. Upon this account it is a grave and worthy advertisement of Mr. Perkins, in his epistle before his treatise of predestination: "It is," saith he, "also requisite that this doctrine (he speaks of predestination, election, and reprobation) agree with the grounds of common reason, and of that knowledge of God which may be obtained by the light of nature." In this saying of his he clearly supposeth, that whatsoever should be taught by any man in the mysterious and high point of predestination, otherwise than according to the Scriptures and the truth, may be clearly disproved by this, viz. the disagreement of it with the grounds of common reason, and of that knowledge of God which the light of nature shineth into the hearts of men. If himself had kept close to this principle of his own, in drawing up his judgment in the point of predestination, the world had received a far differing and better account from his pen of this subject than now it hath. But if his sense were, that the heights and depths of religion (for so we may well call the doctrines of election and reprobation, &c.) have nothing in them but what agreeth with the grounds and principles of common reason, and with the dictates of nature in men, and consequently may be measured, discerned, and judged of by these, he did not conceive that matters of a more facile and ordinary consideration were above the capacity and apprehension of reason. It was the saying of Augustin, that "God hath bowed down the Scriptures to the capacity even of babes and sucklings."* Tertullian hath much upon this account to excellent purpose. In one place, speaking of the soul being yet simple, rude, and unfurnished with any acquired knowledge, either from the Scripture or other institution, he demands why it should be strange, that being given by God it should speak out or sing the same things, the knowledge whereof God giveth unto his children. Not long after he admonisheth the Gentiles, that neither God nor nature lies; and thereupon, that they may believe both God and nature, willeth them to believe their own souls. A little after he saith, that the soul he speaks of hath the words (and therefore the inward senses and impressions) of Christians, whom notwithstanding it wisheth that it might never hear or see. where, having mentioned some expressions of affinity with the Scriptures as oft coming out of the mouths of heathens, he triumphs, as it were, over them with this acclamation, "O, the testimony of a soul naturally Christian!" Nor doth Calvin him

Else

* Inclinavit Deus Scripturas ad infantium et lactentium capacitatem.-Aug. in Psal. viii. Tertul. De testimonio Animæ adversus Gentes, c. 1. Mirum, si a Deo data homini, novit divinare? Sic mirum, si a Deo data, cadem canit, quæ Deus suis dedit nosse. Ibid. c. 5.